Austrian Crystal Information

What is Austrian Crystal?
Austria is the World capital of crystal making. Crystal made in
Austria is Austrian Crystal. Swarovski is the leading manufacturer and
distributor of Austrian Crystal, suppyling many jewelry designers and
companies with loose Swarovski crystals to use in their pieces. The
beauty and sparkle of Swarovski crystal is unmatched! Most of our
crystal jewelry uses genuine Swarovski Austrian Crystal.

Where did Austrian Crystal originate? Is it the same thing as Rhinestones?

Austrian
crystal is considered rhinestone jewelry. The original rhinestones
were pebbles of rock crystal from the Rhine River (Austria's western
boundary), hence the name rhinestone. These pebbles had a beautiful
sparkle an were used as adornments.

In 1775 a French jeweler named George Frederic Stras began to coat
the lower side of glass with metal powder. The resulting sparkle
closely imitated diamonds. These "gems" were not very affordable
because each stone was handcrafted.

In 1892 Daniel Swarovski, son of a Bohemian gem cutter, applied for a
patent that would change the world's impression of crystal jewelry
forever! The patent on his first invention, a machine that cut crystal
jewelry stones with wonderful precision,
would make crystal more affordable.

In 1895 Swarovski moved to Austria, where his invention could be
powered by water. He set up a factory specializing in the production of
cut crystal jewelry stones. His success in producing rhinestones
economically without compromising the quality of the cut was achieved.
This meant widespread acceptance in the jewelry industry.

In 1911 Daniel Swarovski and his three sons refined their methods to
produce stones to a state of flawless brilliance. In 1917 the company
succeeded in producing grinding wheels for cutting crystal stones to
increase production capacity.

One of the most highly collectible rhinestones was introduced in
1955-- the Aurora Borealis. This was a coating is applied to crystal
stones to produce a rainbow of colors. Jewelry featuring Aurora
Borealis rhinestones is highly valued as a collectible!

In 1956 Daniel Swarovski passed away. He was age of 94. His
company was of of Austria's largest companies and the worlds largest
producer of rhinestones.

Cystal rhinestone items are still highly collectible today! They
are used in jewelry, on costumes, apparel and other accessories. Most
of the crystal jewelry is produced in Austria and the Czech Republic.